1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a new refrigerator system and to a control device for such a system or the like as well as to a method of making such a control device.
2. Prior Art Statement
It is known to provide a refrigerator system having a frozen food compartment and a fresh food compartment operatively interconnected together by a control device having a housing means provided with a passage interconnecting the compartments together, the housing means having a movable damper valve member controlling the passage and a temperature responsive unit operatively interconnected to the valve member to move the valve member between open and closed positions thereof in relation to the temperature sensed by the unit. The temperature responsive unit comprises a bellows construction and the housing means has a cylindrical casing surrounding the bellows construction. The temperature responsive unit senses the ambient temperature in the fresh food compartment so that when the temperature in the fresh food compartment rises above a predetermined temperature, the valve member is opened to permit lower temperature air from the frozen food compartment to flow to the fresh food compartment to lower the temperature in the fresh food compartment to the predetermined temperature whereby the valve member is closed by the control device.
It was suggested to the applicant by another that perhaps the damper valve member could be electrically operated, such as with a solenoid, to control the flow of air from the frozen food compartment to the fresh food compartment in response to an electrical signal from an electrical circuit, such as a microprocessor controller for the refrigeration system.
It is also known to provide a temperature responsive device for operating certain structure by disposing an electrical heater means adjacent the temperature responsive device and energizing the heater means to cause the temperature responsive device to move a plunger thereof and thereby operate a part interconnected to the plunger. For example, see the U.S. Patent to Manecke et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,206,780 wherein the plunger of the temperature responsive device moves a selector member when the device is heated by an electrical heater means disposed adjacent the device.
It is also known to provide an electric valve wherein a temperature responsive bellows construction is surrounded by a cylindrical casing of a housing means, an electrically operated heater means being carried on the casing for heating the bellows construction. For example, see the U.S. patent to Kreuter, U.S. Pat. No. 3,414,231.